Chapter 145: Duan Lang vs. Cousin, Suffering Disdain

At the door of Fu Chen’s house in Yunjin Prime Manor…

The cold wind blew, frost covered the sky, and the north wind howled. The blade of the knife pressed against Duan Linbai’s neck wasn’t big, but the chill seeped into his bones as it pressed against his neck. His intuition told him that this knife was definitely very sharp.

This was the first time Duan Linbai had encountered such a thing.

This knife is definitely no joke. If I don’t handle this well, it can really cut my neck.

He stood rooted to the ground, not daring to move.

I’m so f*cking unlucky. Recently, I’ve been encountering misfortune after misfortune, meeting hooligans during the day and bandits at night.

He looks pretty decent, and his looks alone are worth a lot of money, yet he went to become a thief.

“Who are you?” Qiao Xiyan asked, his tone cold.

Duan Linbai was speechless.

What did this thief just ask me?

Who am I?

This is my f*cking house! Does this person have a brain?

At this moment, there were rustling footsteps. Duan Linbai saw Fu Xinhan walking over from the corner of his eye. Fu Xinhan walked to his feet and looked at the two people confronting each other.

Duan Linbai kept winking at him.

You stupid dog, you usually bark when you meet strangers. Don’t you bark really loud? Why aren’t you f*cking biting him?!

Go pounce on him! Jump on him, bite him, and tear him apart!

Fu Xinhan looked at Duan Linbai and then glanced at Qiao Xiyan.

Why are the two of them outside feeling the cold wind in the middle of the night?

Their brains have problems.

Fu Xinhan raised his leg and scratched the ground with his paw. He then stretched his back, turned around, and walked to the backyard while wagging his tail.

Duan Linbai’s eyes widened.

What the f*ck? He left? If anything happens to me, I’ll kill this dog tomorrow.

“Who are you?” Qiao Xiyan looked impatient.

“Brother, you asked me…” Just as Duan Linbai was about to move, the man’s fingers moved an inch forward. Duan Linbai felt a chill on his neck, and his back was covered with cold sweat.

“Don’t move.”

“Alright, I won’t move. Calm down, and don’t move too.” Duan Linbai sized up Qiao Xiyan, wishing he could carve his cold face into his mind.

F*ck, when have I ever been so aggrieved?

***

Just as the two of them were in a deadlock, the lights in the living room suddenly turned on. The white incandescent light spilled out from the door, and Fu Chen appeared at the door wearing a jacket.

He sized up their pose and then glanced at the pieces of broken porcelain on the ground. He immediately understood what had happened.

“Why are you suddenly back? Come in quickly. This is my friend,” Fu Chen introduced Duan Linbai to Qiao Xiyan.

Only then did Qiao Xiyan withdraw his hand. Under the light, Duan Linbai noticed the knife in his hand. It was exquisite and small, and it was similar to the one Song Fengwan used in the day.

Song Fengwan’s carving knife had been taken away as evidence by the police, but Duan Linbai had taken a look at it.

“Linbai, this is Wanwan’s cousin, Qiao Xiyan.”

“Oh!” Duan Linbai snorted coldly.

Even if you stretch out your hand, I won’t shake it.

Qiao Xiyan put away his carving knife and looked at him indifferently. “Where’s Wanwan?”

“She’s asleep.”

After hearing the sound of the vase breaking, Fu Chen immediately went downstairs to see the situation. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have noticed that Qiao Xiyan was at the door.

If he had caught me on her bed, then…

The consequences would have been unimaginable.

Duan Linbai is still useful at critical moments.

“I couldn’t get through to Wanwan, and things are pretty much settled over there, so I came back overnight,” Qiao Xiyan explained briefly. “She didn’t have an accident, did she?”

Fu Chen stuck his tongue against his cheek. “Let’s go in first and talk.”

***

After the three of them sat down, Duan Linbai held the yogurt and sat cross-legged on the sofa while staring tightly at Qiao Xiyan.

Little Sister-in-Law is so cute, yet why does she have such a brother? He’s a cold-faced disaster, and he almost killed me.

Fu Chen went to boil some water and make Qiao Xiyan a cup of hot tea.

At this moment, Duan Linbai saw Qiao Xiyan take out stones from his bag…

He placed them neatly on the coffee table, his movements careful and gentle as if he was protecting some precious treasures.

What the f*ck?

He was carrying a pile of stones?

Is this person crazy?

Was he afraid of the wind being too strong and being blown away, so he carried stones to press his body down?

“My name is Duan Linbai,” he greeted.

Qiao Xiyan glanced at him and said in a dry voice, “Qiao Xiyan.”

“It was a misunderstanding just now. I thought there was a thief in the house. Sorry.” If Qiao Xiyan hadn’t dodged quickly, his head would have been smashed by the vase.

“It’s alright. I almost killed you too.”

Duan Linbai choked.

Does this person know how to chat?

“Um… don’t you know me?” Duan Linbai pointed at himself.

Qiao Xiyan raised his eyebrows and looked at him again. It was dark outside, and the lighting was dim, so he hadn’t gotten a good look at him.

Looking at him now, he’s wearing pajamas with a cartoon logo printed on the front, and he’s holding a box of yogurt. He’s shockingly fair, with soft and tender skin. He seems so weak that he can’t even tie up a chicken.

Looks like he lacks love and hasn’t weaned.

“Are you famous? Should I know you?” Qiao Xiyan’s words were sharp, and Duan Linbai almost vomited blood.

How should I answer this?

I’m famous? That’d be too shameless.

“Ahem… just a little famous online I guess.”

“You’re an internet celebrity,” Qiao Xiyan said with certainty.

No wonder he looks so demonically enchanting. Seems like he specializes in coaxing and cheating girls online.

Qiao Xiyan was obsessed with sculpting, so he would at most watch CCTV news. In recent years, there had been a lot of talk about elementary school students tipping female streamers and company employees embezzling company funds to give gifts to internet celebrities.

Duan Linbai was good-looking, so he subconsciously categorized him in that category.

“I’m not a f*cking internet celebrity!” Duan Linbai was furious. Just by looking at his gaze, he knew that Qiao Xiyan had crooked thoughts.

“Oh,” Qiao Xiyan replied. Clearly, Duan Linbai wasn’t as attractive as the stones in front of him.

“Have some tea.” Fu Chen brought over the hot tea.

“What happened to Wanwan?” Qiao Xiyan took the tea and took a sip, making his dry throat feel better.

“It’s a long story. We have to start from the Song family.” Fu Chen didn’t intend to hide it from him. The police might even come to ask questions these few days, so there was no way to hide it.

Qiao Xiyan was born cold and stern. As he listened to Fu Chen speak, he held a carving knife and was gesturing at the raw jade he had bought.

This was a piece of clear jade that he had bought on the street as soon as he saw it without any bargaining. He bought it to handle it himself, and whether or not he could produce anything good would all depend on his luck.

“… Wanwan was slightly injured in the underground garage.”

Fu Chen and Duan Linbai only saw Qiao Xiyan cut the stone in the middle with his carving knife. The sharp blade pierced through the stone…

… separating the stone into two with one cut, clean and neat. There was a piece of jade wrapped in the stone. It was white with a tinge of green, and the quality was quite good.

Duan Linbai reached out his hand and touched his neck. A chill ran down his spine.

F*ck, his cut is so quick, efficient, strong, and ruthless.

“Is she hurt?” Qiao Xiyan furrowed.

“Those people have already been taken away by the police, and the mastermind behind it has also been taken into custody. She was implicated by me. I didn’t take good care of her.” Fu Chen’s attitude was sincere.

Duan Linbai bit the straw.

It’s really rare for Fu Chen to lower his head and admit his mistake.

“Some people deliberately wanted to harm her, so it was impossible to guard against it.” Fu Chen didn’t say it explicitly, but Qiao Xiyan knew that Miss Cheng had probably misunderstood.

“These days, you’ve taken good care of Wanwan. She minded it, so it’s normal for her to form resentment.

“As an elder, it’s natural to take care of your juniors. This woman’s thoughts are too dirty and extremely narrow-minded.”

Qiao Xiyan spoke with an official tone, extremely serious.

Duan Linbai almost spat out his yogurt.

What the f*ck?

Third Fu, you have a long way to go.

Fu Chen lowered his head and drank his tea. His eyelids twitched, but he didn’t say anything.

***

The two of them chatted for a while before going upstairs together and returning to their rooms.

Qiao Xiyan placed the stone in his room and slowly walked to Song Fengwan’s room. The door wasn’t locked, so he could enter easily. His brows instantly furrowed tightly.

The beds in Fu Chen’s house were all large. Song Fengwan had a small build and was wrapped in her blanket. She was shrinking into a ball and only occupied a third of the bed, but the space beside her was slightly depressed and messy, seemingly like someone had slept there.

Qiao Xiyan was much older than Song Fengwan, and he had often coaxed her to sleep when she was young. She didn’t move much when she slept and could even sleep without moving the entire night. Qiao Aiyun was afraid that the back of her head would become drooped from sleeping like this and would always turn her over in the middle of the night.

Why is the bed so messy this time?

He sat at the side of the bed and saw that there was some medicine on the bedside table. He then looked at her right hand, and his gaze became even more dark and ruthless. He already had the thought of dismembering those bastards.

***

Fu Chen tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.

He was worried about Song Fengwan, so after Qiao Xiyan left her room and he made sure that Qiao Xiyan wouldn’t come back, he stayed in her room and waited until it was dawn. Only then did he return to his room and lay on his bed, his mind full of what Qiao Xiyan had said.

It’s not going to be easy to get past the Qiao family’s barrier.

After Song Fengwan entered her senior year of high school, she rarely slept in. She slept very comfortably, and when she woke up naturally the next day, it was only half past six in the morning.

She reached for her phone under her pillow and suddenly remembered that the screen was broken.

She looked at the digital clock on the bedside table…

It’s Fu Chen’s birthday today.

She got up and took out the exquisitely packaged box from her backpack. It was a black velvet box with an ice-blue ribbon, looking low-key and elegant. Fortunately, she had tied the knot in the shop. If she had waited until now, it would have been too late.

Because it was inconvenient to use one hand, she washed up simply and rummaged in the closet for a long time. The bed was full of clothes.

This one feels too solemn, and that one seems too ordinary.

In the end, she finally decided on a light green woolen dress.

She knew that Fu Chen was going to the old residence for dinner tonight, so he might only be at home in the morning.

Song Fengwan took the box and went downstairs. She was thinking about how to give the gift, feeling worried and uneasy.

She went downstairs nervously.

“Wanwan.” Qiao Xiyan’s voice suddenly sounded.

Song Fengwan was so frightened that her body trembled, and the box fell to the ground. She hurriedly picked it up and put it in her pocket. “Cousin, why are you back?”

“What did you drop?”

“It’s nothing.” Song Fengwan hid her hands behind her back.

“Fu Chen told me what happened yesterday. You don’t need to hide it. Come here. I’ll apply some more medicine for you.” Qiao Xiyan pulled her arm and walked to the sofa.

Qiao Xiyan’s gaze was cold and deep, as if he could see through her. Song Fengwan felt guilty.

He took the first-aid kit, swiftly held a pair of tweezers, pinched a cotton ball, dipped it in povidone-iodine, and wiped her wound. In the past, he had often accidentally injured his hands while using carving knives, so hand cleaning wounds was commonplace for him.

“Next time you encounter such a situation, stay in a crowded place and call for help. Don’t walk around alone,” Qiao Xiyan reminded.

“Okay.” Song Fengwan lowered her head. “I didn’t expect that those two came for me.”

Qiao Xiyan nodded and treated her wound seriously.

When it was almost mealtime, Duan Linbai went downstairs while fiddling with his hair. He couldn’t sleep after being frightened by Qiao Xiyan last night, so he had played games for half the night. But just as he fell asleep, he dreamed of Qiao Xiyan poking him with a knife and woke up directly from the shock.

“You woke up early today.” Uncle Nian smiled.

Duan Linbai tugged at his hair and smiled at him. He never liked to wake up early. If he hadn’t had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep, he wouldn’t have woken up.

“Sit down and eat first. I’ll go call Third Master.” Uncle Nian put breakfast on the table, wiped his hands, and prepared to go to the small study. Fu Chen always copied scriptures early in the morning and had never broken this habit.

“I’ll go!” Song Fengwan hurriedly ran toward the study.

Qiao Xiyan raised his eyelids.

She’s so anxious. What’s there to be anxious about eating? When I saw her just now, she was so startled that her face went pale, yet she seems to have a good relationship with Fu Chen.

He didn’t know why, but he felt a little uneasy. He raised his foot, wanting to go and take a look, but Duan Linbai blocked his path.

“Big Brother Qiao, don’t go. Let’s eat. Hurry and sit.” Duan Linbai was very enthusiastic. He pulled Qiao Xiyan and forcefully dragged him to the side of the chair.

After all, the two of them weren’t familiar with each other, and this was Fu Chen’s house. So even if Qiao Xiyan felt uncomfortable, he wouldn’t pull a long face toward Duan Linbai and could only sit down.

“Come on. Let’s eat. Just treat this place like your own home. Don’t be polite.” Duan Linbai sat right next to him, guarding him tightly.

Qiao Xiyan furrowed his brows slightly. “Young Master Duan…”

“What?”

“Can you not be so close? I feel uncomfortable.”

Duan Linbai coughed twice and moved slightly away from him. But his eyes kept staring at him, afraid that he would run away.

Qiao Xiyan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

This man…

Why does he keep on staring at me?

Is he a pervert?

Little did he know that Fu Chen was currently teasing his cousin in the study.